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Orbital Mechanics
Student Activity
Docking with the ISS
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Consider the drawing below. The Space Shuttle is in exactly the same orbit as the International Space Station (not to scale), and behind it, travelling in the same direction.
The objective is to dock the Shuttle to the ISS. The Shuttle, being the much more manoeuvrable vehicle, must fire its rocket engines to converge on the ISS and dock with it.
Describe the procedure required to accomplish this. Note that all rocket burns change the orbit of the Shuttle.
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Consider the drawing below. The Space Shuttle is in exactly the same orbit as the International Space Station (not to scale), and ahead of it, travelling in the same direction.
The objective is to dock the Shuttle to the ISS. The Shuttle, being the much more manoeuvrable vehicle, must fire its rocket engines to converge on the ISS and dock with it.
Describe the procedure required to accomplish this. Note that all rocket burns change the orbit of the Shuttle.
